1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of baseball-softball training devices and safety equipment. This guard, which easily attaches to any ball bat during bunting practice, protects the “barrel hand” and fingers near the contact point of a pitched ball.
2. Description of Relevant Art
When a bunting situation arises in a game, the bunter usually has one or maybe two attempts to lay down a good bunt. During bunting practice, a player must lay down many successful bunts, down the first base line and third base line, before a coach takes the next player, for his or her turn. Because of many more repetitions during practice, this is when a good protective device is needed. The anxiety many players feel while bunting can be removed, if proper skills are learned in a safe manner. Pitching machines and practice pitchers can both be erratic and potential injury is a reality, without this product. The approach of a pitching machine ball varies on how the machine was loaded, who made the machine, or if old scarred balls were used. If the machine was loaded as a pitcher would throw a 2-seam fastball, or a 4-seam fastball, the trajectory would vary, and if it came in like a knuckle ball—it would change direction, or even corkscrew in mid-flight.
A Major League or college age pitcher can throw 95 mph fastballs, and at that speed it takes 0.4 seconds to travel 60′ 6″—giving the batter 0.2 seconds to decide to hit, bunt or let it pass. Developing eye-brain-body coordination is learned by going through the motion over and over; fortunately for developing bunting skills, it can be accomplished safely, with the bunt guard.
Some natural athletes have the speed, power and defensive abilities to be great players. Most still need much training and experience to become skilled bunters. Some players will never have the speed, power or arm strength of others, but they can develop the fine aspect of bunting. Sometimes it's the small details that makes you a starter, or puts you on the team.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,909, attempted to solve the hand protection issue, for use during bunting practice. If it had actually been produced, it would have fit only a very small percentage of bats made, in the proper location. The cantilevered design feature would have tilted the guard into the hand it was designed to protect.